CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

One of the greatest threats to the validity of examinations, the authenticity of the certificate issued and the reliability of the products of the Nigerian educational system is the prevalence of examination malpractices. Examination malpractices in Nigeria can be traced to 1914 when the senior Cambridge local examination leaked. This was even before the university of Benin was set up.

It can therefore be argued that examination malpractices do not constitute a new phenomenon in Nigeria.

Examination malpractice constitute two concepts i.e. examination and malpractice. Examination could be defined as to give somebody a test to see how much he/she knows about a subject while “malpractice means careless or wrongs or illegal behavior”.

Therefore, examination malpractices is defined as an illegal act or behavior while sitting for an examination. Examination leakages cheating, impersonation certificate forgery etc, can be classified as examination. Malpractices since any candidate who indulges in any of these does so to have an undue advantage over other candidates.

Examination malpractice is a phenomenon that has almost crept into virtually every faced of our society. Right from the primary school to the university level and it is even more in the university this days.

Examination malpractice is not peculiar to university of Benin alone, it is a national phenomenon which has reduced the quality of a certificate that are obtainable in the Nigerian educational system. It has been a disturbing development over the years, in which the stake holders in the educational system could not provide a clue to the problem of examination malpractice.

It is disheartening to note the wave of malpractices sweeping across the entire educational system. Examination malpractice can be classified as follows:

Classified as follows

Cheating copying from cribs, textbooks, notebooks, swapping of scripts, collusion, electronic device means of cheating etc.

Smuggling of worked scripts into the examination room.